


We Can Be Heroes

by Kirkwaller



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/F, Rock Band AU, da2 rock band crew, hawke has an undercut and is a huge nerd as usual, possible rating change to m later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-21 05:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6039223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirkwaller/pseuds/Kirkwaller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marian Hawke is the lead singer of the Champions, an up-and-coming band in Kirkwall. Along with her friends, she hopes to continue in her father's footsteps and leave her mark on the music industry. In the City of Chains, will Hawke finally be able to achieve her dream?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When I Live My Dream

The lights of the festival’s center stage had gone completely dark. The only sounds that could be heard were the anticipatory murmurs of the crowd. Proudly sporting their favorite merch and sitting on one another’s shoulders, they were all waiting for the biggest band of the entire weekend. This next set would be the greatest moment of their entire lives, and would be well worth the wait. Suddenly, the park was illuminated by a flash of light as the word “CHAMPIONS” brightly lit up over the stage. The second that the band’s logo flashed across the crowd, the park was filled with the deafening sound of a sea of screaming fans.

As the screaming got even louder, fog machines began to roll thick blankets of smoke across the stage and over the crowd. Red lasers began to permeate the fog and wildly fan out across the park. Backstage, the band was tightly huddled in a group. The lead singer tossed her hair out of her face and began to speak. “Alright everyone, we can do this. We’ve all worked our arses off to be here today. We’re getting to play the show of our dreams, so let’s make this the best concert that we’ve ever done. We deserve it, and our fans deserve it. Let’s make this our moment.” With that, Hawke gave everyone an excited hug and began to jog to her place on a small platform under the stage. As she made her way, she could hear Carver loudly complaining, “Why does _she_ always get to make the speeches?”

Below the stage, Hawke was breathing rapidly, trying to wipe the sweat from her palms before her turn to go on. Nervously gripping her guitar, she listened to the sounds of her friends entering the stage. The first person to go was Merrill, who slowly brought up a rich chord from her keyboard that began to reverberate from the massive wall of speakers surrounding the stage. At the sound, the crowd began to scream even louder. A few seconds later, Hawke saw another flash of light through the cracks of the stage and heard the sound of a bass drum patting out a few tantalizingly simple beats, which set the crowd into another round of hysterics. _Aveline, always the tease_ , Hawke thought with a smirk. She heard Bethany’s bass begin to play around with the notes of their opening song, and the fans began to scream even louder. _Just one more to go_ , Hawke nervously realized. Another flash of light, and she heard the crowd go wild as the roaring screech of Carver’s guitar ripped through the speakers. _Maker, what a showoff_ , she quipped. Then, the hole above her head opened, pouring a thick cloud of smoke onto her. _Ok, really, whoever turned the fog machines up to this point is definitely going to be hearing from-oh, sweet Andraste, here we go. Stop talking to yourself and SCREAM._

As she rose up onto the stage, the crowd became louder than Hawke could have ever anticipated. Strumming the opening chord on her guitar, she shouted “HELLLLOOOOO, KIRKWALL!” and gave the nearest cameraman a wink for the fans. “HOW’S EVERYBODY DOING THIS EVENING!” Even with her earpiece in, Hawke almost couldn’t hear herself over the frenzied screams of the crowd. She bounded up to the microphone, gave the nod to her bandmates, and the set began.

The concert was an adrenaline-filled blur. As Hawke strummed the final chords and sang the final words, she felt a huge wave of adrenaline wash over her as she looked out into the sea of fans. She was coated in a sheen of sweat, and her voice had gone completely hoarse from pouring all of her energy into her vocals. “GOODNIGHT EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU KIRKWALL! WE LOVE YOU!” She raised her hand to the crowd, and-

Hawke shot up in bed, heart beating rapidly from the energy of her dream. She pushed her hair out of her face and stared at the band posters that plastered her ceiling, trying to recapture the feeling of pure exhilaration that she had experienced in the dream. She hugged her dragon plushie and sighed, thinking about what her life would be like if her band actually got to play a real concert, let alone headline one of the biggest festivals in Thedas. She was quickly interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Marian, are you alright?” Bethany asked as she stepped into the room with a glass of hot tea. Wading through the sea of clothes and Maker-knows-what that completely covered the floor, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with an amused expression on her face. “I heard you thrashing around and yelling ‘THANK YOOOUUU, KIRKWALL!” in your sleep. Dreaming about that gig tomorrow?”

Marian gave her a look that Bethany knew meant to prepare herself for another one of her sister’s ridiculous stories. “Of course! The Hanged Man was literally about to burst with thousands of hysterical fans all screaming for us, but especially for our adorable bass player.” Marian gave her sister a smirk as she took a swig of the tea and flopped back on her pillow. “The crowd was absolutely wild! Corff even cried during the ballad, and Knight-Commander Meredith threw her panties onstage at the end of the show! Let me tell you, they were _very_ frilly.”

“Sister, you are absolutely _hilarious_. Why don’t we just drop the band, and you begin a career as a clown instead? You already terrify small children, and I’m sure that mother would love telling all of her friends about your respectable new career.” Before Marian had a chance to come up with a retort, Bethany ruffled her sister’s short, scruffy hair. “Love the new undercut, by the way. I’m surprised that you didn’t just shave it all off this time,” she said as she began the trek through the piles of clothing once again.

As she walked out of the door towards her own room, Marian hit her in the head with her stuffed dragon. Bethany yelled back down the hall. “Hey! You wouldn’t want to injure your bass player the night before a gig!” Hawke laughed before laying back down in her bed. “Ah, but who actually needs a bassist in the first place?” She heard a muffled groan of annoyance through the wall. “Marian, you know that I heard that! And that coming from someone who plays rhythm guitar,” she joked. “But that’s beside the point. Bassists are very important, in fact, they could be argued to be the most essential element of any successful band…” Hawke drifted asleep to the sound of Bethany’s lecture.

 

************

 

When Bethany began to hear the sound of thunderous snores coming from the next room, she realized that maybe Marian didn’t quite have the energy to listen to a twenty minute lecture about her least favorite instrument. She noticed that her sister’s stuffed dragon was still lying in the hall as well. With a quiet sigh, she swept back into the hall, picked up the bedraggled toy, and gently laid it down next to Marian while she slept.

Bethany studied the peaceful expression that her sister only wore when she was asleep: the rest of the time, Marian was bounding around Kirkwall with a perpetual smirk on her face. Bethany knew better, though. When she looked at Marian, she could see past the mirth in her eyes and the grin on her lips. Underneath, her sister’s countenance was worn from hiding the constant fear of failure that enveloped her life. Even now, she could see the lines of fatigue that were faintly etched under Marian’s eyes.

Bethany worried about her sister, and about her life in general: Marian was staking everything that she had on the band. Her bookshelf was spilling with journals of lyrics that she had written, half-finished recordings were scattered around her keyboard, and piles of their father’s old lyric books and his two records were stacked on a shelf of their own. Marian’s prized possession, their father’s guitar, was carefully stowed away in its tattered old case.

Although Marian had never spoken it aloud, it was obvious to Bethany that her sister wanted to do what their father had never been able to do: she wanted to make it big, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life sharing her music with the world. She adamantly refused to let anything or anyone stand in her way, including their mother. Leandra had been furious when Hawke told her of her plans to start a band. Without Bethany’s quiet strength to support her, Marian may have once again spiraled into becoming the unstable, reckless person that she had been in the months after their father had died. The idea of the band was what had motivated Marian to start her life again, and Bethany would have done anything to see her sister become happy once more.

In a sense, life had fallen into place, and Bethany had found herself living in a tiny apartment in Kirkwall, going to university at the city’s prestigious school of music, and playing in her sister’s small, promising band. She had yet to tell Marian, but she had convinced her mother to come and watch their gig tomorrow. She hoped that their mother would finally give Marian the support that she needed. As Bethany fell asleep in her bed, she couldn’t help but feel a nervous anticipation in her gut for the next day’s gig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll be posting new chapters every Tuesday, and I'll start putting up character bios once all of the major characters have been introduced. I'm also working on some edits so that you guys can see how I'm envisioning Hawke and Isabela in this au, so those should be up soon as well. Also, the title of the series and the names of all of its chapters are taken from David Bowie songs. Thank you for reading, and if you want to leave comments/suggestions, I would really appreciate it!


	2. The Stars Look Very Different Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the band gets introduced, and The Champions play their first gig.

Marian checked the time on her van’s ancient clock and stepped on the gas a little more. The clock said 7:57, but it was notorious for being at least five minutes behind at all times. She turned and faced her sister, who was busy texting Aveline that they were on their way.

“Beth, I still can’t believe that mother is actually going to show up for this.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Bethany asked. “I know that you don’t believe it, but Marian, she really does care about you. It’s been a year since you’ve spoken to her, and with Carver playing lead for us now, there’s not a chance that she can stay away any longer.”

Marian rolled her eyes at her sister. “Trust me, if she can find any excuse to not show up, she will. I mean, look at you and Carver. Compared to the two of you, she must think that I’m absolutely worthless. I’m the biggest disappointment that she’s ever had to deal with, and I’m sure that she would much rather ignore me than acknowledge my existence.”

“No,” Bethany said quietly. “She hasn’t been ignoring you, Marian. She’s been trying her hardest to stay away. Have you ever thought about what it would feel like for her to stand in a crowd and watch you sing, just like she did for father? The pain that she would feel? After what happened to him, she has every right to be worried. But Marian, she hasn’t been staying away because she hates you. She’s been avoiding it because she loves you, and she doesn’t want to lose you the way that she lost father.”

Marian looked her sister in the eyes, being completely serious in a way that unnerved  Bethany. “She may not want to lose me that way, but she’s almost ready to lose me in another. Let’s just forget about it. If she’s there, she’s there. If she’s not, I’ll hardly be surprised.”

As her sister turned up the radio, Bethany whispered, “But she hasn't lost you yet."

Marian parked in the small, rundown lot next to the Hanged Man, Lowtown’s most notorious dive bar. Its flickering neon sign depicted a rather gruesome depiction of its namesake. The bar had been a mainstay in the area for decades, and was the haunt of many of the city’s most infamous residents. However, it had also been the first venue of many famous bands who had been discovered during its weekly Newbie Night. After becoming a regular at the bar over the past year, Marian had finally convinced Corff to allow her band to play, and she was filled with excitement at the thought of finally getting a break.

As she hopped out of the van and lovingly patted its hood, Marian looked up at the building. “Ah,” she said with a smirk. “The finest establishment in all of Kirkwall.”

Suddenly, the door to the bar swung open.

“Hawke, you’re late.”

“And you’re grumpy! Don’t worry Av, we’ve got your stuff in the back of the van,” Marian said as she ran to give Aveline a quick hug.

 Marian threw open the doors of her van, revealing the many, many pieces of Aveline’s drum set that needed to be hauled into the bar.

Aveline grimaced as she passed the side of the van. Although it had been there for a year now, she still couldn’t get over the pinup version of Andraste that Hawke had painted upon the side of her car.

“Hawke, I still don’t understand why you had that hideous thing painted on this poor van. As a police officer who has to sit and watch hundreds of cars pass by on a weekly basis, I can tell you that this is still the ugliest car on the road. And honestly, if anyone from the Chantry ever sees it, they’ll probably tie you up and drag you to the nearest confessional.”

“Really, Aveline? I think that they might just be in awe of it. I mean, who knows, it could be more accurate than the frilly white dresses that they’ve always painted her in. But Maker, where’s muscle boy when you need him?” Marian complained as she attempted to hoist the bass drum. “I swear, Carver could probably just throw the whole van over his shoulder and carry the entire thing inside.”

Aveline deftly swept the huge drum out of Marian’s struggling arms. “Don’t worry, Hawke. Muscle girl can get the job done even faster,” she joked.

Bethany began to pick up some cymbals, cringing when they accidentally hit together. “Carver’s probably tuning up. That, and he’s still the laziest person in all of Thedas,” she said with a smile as she walked through the doors to the bar.

While carrying the floor tom towards the doors, Marian leaned over and bumped Aveline’s shoulder. “How was work today? Did you get to use your big, shiny taser? Or unleash a pack of attack dogs on an unlucky criminal?”

Aveline snorted and shifted the bass drum in her grip. “Honestly, I almost wish so. It would’ve been much more interesting than the paperwork that the Guard Captain had me sifting through. You would think that with the rising crime rates in the city, he’d be more worried about organizing patrol units than forcing us to file old case reports.”

“Well, as they say, ignorance is bliss,” Marian said over her shoulder as she nudged the door open.

As she stepped into the bar, a friendly voice rang out across the room.

“Hawke!” Merrill sang as she leapt from the platform in the room to give her friend a hug. “I’ve got the keyboard set up, and Carver should be done tuning his guitar any moment now,” she said as she glanced in his direction.

Carver was swinging his legs off the edge of the platform, still in the middle of tuning his guitar.

“There you are, sister! Did the van finally break down on you?”

“Carver, that van is almost twice as old as you are, and if it's made it this far, I don't think it's stopping any time soon. And how could the Maker let that priceless work of art ever be destroyed? I'm sure that he likes it just as much as I do,” she said with a wink.

Carver groaned, and the rest of the band returned to setting up for the gig. When they were finally ready to play, Corff trudged up to the microphone at the front of the platform.

“Hey everybody, it’s Newbie Night at the Hanged Man. So let’s give warm a welcome to our band tonight, the.. um, the..

“Champions, it’s The Champions!” Marian added as she grabbed the microphone. “And I promise you, you’re going to remember us after we play this set tonight!”

As his sister spoke, Carver began the riff of the opening song. Marian quickly glanced around the room and was unsurprised to notice that Leandra wasn’t there. She felt a bitter twinge in her gut. _Oh well_ , she thought. _Mother, I guess you’ll never know what you’re missing._ And with that, Marian held on to the microphone and began to sing the first lines of the song.

The gig was going far better than Marian had expected. Aveline’s beats kept everyone in line and energized the people who were still paying attention to them. Bethany’s bass runs continued to liven up the room, and Carver was actually doing even better than he had during their practices. The crowd seemed to have lent him even more energy, and he actually smiled a few times during his solos. On the other hand, Merrill had been terrified to play her keyboard solo in public, but her eyes sparkled as her fingers effortlessly glided across the keys, getting her a round of applause from the people who were listening. And, of course, Marian herself was completely consumed by the music. Her low, confident voice rung through the room, and her guitar perfectly strummed the rhythms of the songs. _Alright, just one more song to go_ , she thought.

Near the end of the final song, Hawke’s eyes swept across the bar and stopped near the doors. Her voice cracked, and she almost completely lost focus on the music. Standing near the doorway, looking as proper as ever even in the seediest dive in Kirkwall, was Leandra. She looked out of place and far more than uncomfortable, but her eyes expressed a look of hope and determination. She looked down at Malcolm’s guitar and her eyes widened slightly, and a wistful look crossed her face. She made eye contact with Marian, and quickly glanced away towards Bethany.  

When Marian checked the clock at the back of the bar, she realized that the band still had time to play. All that she wanted to do was let the mix of emotions that she was feeling envelop her, but she didn’t yet feel that the set was complete. She knew that she needed to end the gig with the right song, and she knew that the crowd would know exactly what that song should be. Hesitating, she slowly lifted her head up and looked out into the room.   

“Alright everyone, we’ve got time for one more song. Any requests?” she asked the crowd.

Most of the crowd was either face down in their drinks or drunkenly brawling one another, but Marian noticed a nervously raised hand in the back of the room.

“I do, if you don’t mind. I’m sure you know the tune,” came her mother’s familiar voice. “In fact, I think that you know exactly what to play.”

 _Father’s first single._ Marian hesitated. She stared at Leandra, uncertain of whether she should continue. She slowly raised her hand and began to strum the opening chords of the song. She looked directly at her mother and began to sing.

“Ground Control to Major Tom, Ground Control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground Control to Major Tom. Commencing countdown, engines on. Check ignition and may the Maker’s love be with you…”

The old classic turned the heads of many of the people in the room, and eventually, the crowd was scrambling over to better hear the strong, clear voice of its singer. Consumed by the lyrics of the song, Hawke hardly noticed. This one was for her mother. And she would play it for her with all of her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I know that using Space Oddity is probably the biggest cliche out there, but it's still a beautiful song that really fits the theme of this fic. Hope you guys enjoy, and see you next week!


	3. Opening Doors and Pulling Some Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of dwarves in this chapter. It just sort of happened. I guess it was dwarf night at the Hanged Man.

After the success of their first gig at the Hanged Man, Corff had offered the Champions a weekly deal over the next couple of months. In the past few weeks, they had garnered a regular fanbase of three people: Leandra, and two dwarves who had appeared out of nowhere one night and had yet to miss a show. The older one looked like a kind, quiet man who would much rather be in his house than at a loud bar. Marian loved his outfit though. He wore a crisp white shirt with a tiny guitar embroidered onto his shirt pocket. His son was wearing a vintage rock hoodie and was watching with an expression of pure enjoyment. Even if nobody else was paying attention to the band, it made Marian happy to know that at least these two enjoyed listening to them play.

After the band wrapped up their set for the evening, Marian’s eye was caught by the two dwarves excitedly bumbling towards the stage. She finished carefully packing away her guitar and walked up to them with a smile.

“Messere, may we have a moment?” The elder one asked.

“Of course! I’ve always got time for our biggest fans,” Marian said with a grin. “I’m Hawke, by the way, and trust me, I certainly don’t need to be called Messere. I’ve got to tell you, I’ve been wondering when you two mystery dwarves would come over and introduce yourselves.”

The older dwarf replied in a warm, jovial voice. “Ah, well, I’m Bodahn, and this is my son, Sandal,” he said. “I must say that your band is the best that we’ve heard in a very long time. I recently moved here to open a record store in the city, and we love getting out and listening to the bands of the city. Hearing your music really reminds me of some of the greats from back in my day. It’s great to know that there are still some true rock bands left in the world.”

“A true compliment from a true gentleman of rock,” Marian replied. She gave a theatrical bow that made the dwarves laugh.

As she bowed, Sandal gave her a huge smile.

“And what do you do for a living, Sandal?”Marian asked.

“Enchantment!”

“And how would you sum up tonight’s show?”

“ _Enchantment_!”

“Well that’s very kind of you! Seriously, I want to make sure that both of you know that we really appreciate you coming out to see us,” Marian said as she gave them both a hug.

“Well, we’d better take our leave. Goodnight, Messere!” Bodahn said as they turned to exit the bar.

“Hawke, just Hawke! And you’ll be back next week?” Marian called as they walked out the door.

“As always, Mess..I mean, Hawke!” Bodahn called back with a smile.

Marian smiled and returned to the daunting task of helping Aveline load her drums back into the van.

After finally hauling all of their equipment back to the cars, the band decided to huddle around their usual table in the back corner of the room, and Marian walked to the bar to get everyone a drink. As she was waiting, a dwarf sat down on the stool next to her. She’d noticed him during the show because he was watching them intently with a thoughtful expression on his face that was unlike the rest of the rowdy crowd. Plus, he had an undercut, _and_ a man bun. She knew that this guy had to be entertaining.

The dwarf looked up from his phone and turned towards her. “Hey kid, your band absolutely _killed_ it tonight. There’s some real talent there. But anyways, the name is Tethras. Varric Tethras,” the dwarf said as he leaned over to shake Marian’s hand. “And I’m your new manager.”

Marian gave him an skeptical look. “I’m Hawke, Marian Hawke. But what makes you think that we need a manager?”

“Because, Hawke, look around you. Look at the facts. Your band is good, better than good. You have promise, and there’s a real spark to your band that I haven’t seen from anybody in a long, long time. But you’re still here, playing in a bar full of lowlifes every weekend,” Varric said as he gestured to the crowd of men who were currently chanting as one of them attempted to climb one of the wooden columns in the room.

“I know what you’re thinking- some bigwig is going to waltz in here one day and boom! It’ll be stadium tours and your name up in lights at the biggest arenas in Thedas. But this business doesn’t work that way,” Varric said as he leaned back in his chair, “and that’s where I come in. What you need is guidance, and with some work, I can get the Champions straight to the top. I’ve got the connections, the know-how, and some devastatingly handsome looks to boot. So what do you say?” he said with a grin.

“Well, seeing as you’re still playing the charmingly vague card, I do have some questions. What connections do you have exactly? And why in the Maker’s name would you ever consider yourself to be handsome?”

Varric chuckled and lowered his voice. “Have you heard of Bianca? The dwarven jazz singer? Well, there’s one connection for you, but that’s a story for another time when I’ve had more to drink than a mug of rat piss. And, my brother happens to be the owner of Lyrium Records.”

Marian nearly spit out her beer. “Lyrium? Why, Mister Tethras, maybe you’re a bit more handsome than I thought,” she said with a joking wink as the dwarf laughed.

She spun her stool a little to face him directly. “But before we can make any sort of agreement, you need to go over and have a talk with that merry band of misfits in the corner as well,” she said as she pointed to her friends, who were cheering as Aveline and Carver were furiously locked in an arm wrestling battle.

“You’re right, Hawke. Judging from the looks of you all, this is definitely going to be a team effort. And please, just call me Varric,” he said over his shoulder as he strolled towards the rest of the band.

Marian was still in shock from the incredible stroke of luck that she’d just had. Swaying back and forth on the stool, she pondered over the information that Varric had told her. Lyrium Records was a label with a long history in the music industry. Owned by the Tethras family, the label was a name known by every artist in Thedas. It was known for its vocal support of mage rights, and the majority of its bands included mage members amongst their ranks. It was based in Kirkwall but had been brought to ruins during the mage revolts of the city that had happened a couple of decades ago. Lately, its famous name and knack for supporting high-quality acts had caused its influence to quickly rise once again. She briefly wondered if Varric knew about Bethany and Merrill, but she decided to ask him later when they were away from the ears of any potential templars. If everything went well, the band could be signed to the label and, with the support of such a huge name, would be able to reach out to an even wider audience.

After talking with everyone else, it was agreed. The band would play out its last few shows at the Hanged Man, and then Varric felt that they would be ready to start slowly playing some bigger shows in the city. Once they had a solid fan base in Kirkwall, they would really have it made. As she drove home with Bethany, Marian couldn’t contain the huge smile on her face.

“Sister, I haven’t seen you look this happy in a long time,” Bethany said with a gentle smile.

“Honestly Beth, I haven’t been happy since Father died. I felt like my life was in limbo. Nothing seemed to make me feel alive anymore except for the band, but I didn’t even know if it could ever amount to anything, and it was terrifying to think of what would happen if we never did. But now that we’re making real progress, now that we’ve got an actual shot at this, at _being_ something, I can’t help but think that we’re making him proud. And the thought of that makes everything we’ve been through completely worth it. And Bethany, did the name Lyrium ring a bell for you?”

            “Now that you say so, it did sound familiar. What am I missing?” Bethany asked.

            Marian gestured to the glovebox of the van. “Grab one of Father’s tapes,” she said.

            Bethany picked out a worn cassette tape and examined its case. On the back was the small, blue logo of Lyrium Records. She looked at Marian in surprise and the two shared a huge grin. Bethany popped the tape into the player and they rode home, blasting their father’s first record for the whole city to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I want to apologize for missing last week’s update. I started a second job that day and things got a bit crazy. But I’m back, and this week I’ll be posting a little side story as well. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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